'Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria' — that lie upon beds of ivory, that drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but are not grieved for the hurt of Joseph: therefore shall they now go captive at the head of them that go captive; the Lord Hashem has sworn by Himself: 'I abhor the pride of Jacob.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, And to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, The notable men of the first of the nations, To whom the house of Israel come!
verse value 3698
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. Verse gematria: 3698 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֚וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·ones·at·ease" (הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּ֣ים, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "the·ones·at·ease" (הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּ֣ים), "in·Zion" (בְּצִיּ֔וֹן), "and·that·trust" (וְהַבֹּטְחִ֖ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "Israel" (root ישראל, 25x in Amos). First appearance of the root גוי ("the·nations") in Amos. First appearance of the root הם ("to·them") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: ה֚וֹי [ah!] (21) + הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּ֣ים [the·ones·at·ease] (456) + בְּצִיּ֔וֹן [in·Zion] (158) + וְהַבֹּטְחִ֖ים [and·that·trust] (80) + בְּהַ֣ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + שֹׁמְר֑וֹן [Samaria] (596) + נְקֻבֵי֙ [named-ones-of] (162) + רֵאשִׁ֣ית [first] (911) + הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [the·nations] (64) + וּבָ֥אוּ [and·they·shall·come] (15) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3698.
Rashi
"The distinguished ones of the chief of the nations." They used to call you "the distinguished nation" among the nations of the world.
"And they came to them, the house of Israel." They chose their judgments and came to their general principle:
Ibn Ezra
"Hoy" – this is a sign of the exile of Nebuchadnezzar.
“Pierced are the heads of the nations” – these are Israel, and they are called “nations” because of their being numerous.
“And they shall come to the house of Israel” – because they are under her dominion.
Radak
“Woe to the complacent in Zion.” Samaria was the capital of the kingdom of Israel, and Zion was the capital of the kingdom of Judah. And He says: “Woe to the wealthy men who are in them, who are complacent and secure, thinking that no evil will come upon them, and they do not mourn or grieve over the fact that the children of Israel have been exiled,” as it is stated at the end of the matter: “And they did not mourn over the breaking of Joseph.” For Samaria was the last of the cities of Israel to be captured, and Zion [the last] of the cities of Judah. And these two mountains, Zion and Samaria, were inscribed as the “first of the nations” who dwelled there from the beginning, namely the seven nations. And He called them “the first of the nations” because they were the first nations to dwell there, and their lands were the choice of all lands. And these mountains were inscribed with a name for good.
"And the house of Israel came to them." With the help of the Lord, Israel did not inherit them by their sword or by their bow, but rather by the will of God, blessed be He. Yet they transgressed His will, abandoned His judgments, and adopted the judgments of the first nations who dwelt in these lands. Why did they do this? Look around you: is there any land better than their land? If God, blessed be He, gave them a good land, why did they deny Him and His goodness?
Metzudat David
“Woe to the complacent.” “Woe” refers to those who sit complacently in Zion, and “woe” refers to those who sit securely on the mountain of Samaria.
"Nakovi." Initially, they were called by the name that they are the most distinguished people among all the nations in the judgment of their conduct. Now, all of the House of Israel have come to join them to adhere to the judgments of their conduct.
Metzudat Zion
“Ha-sha'anannim.” The matter of tranquility and rest, as in “Shanan Moav” (Jeremiah 48):
"Perforated." So too, it is said regarding the separation of the Name, as it is written: "designated by name" (Numbers 1:17).
"Beginning." The matter of "the best" and "the choicest" is like "the best/choicest of their might" (in Jeremiah 49).
Malbim
“Woe to the complacent in Zion”: The entire statement extends to what is written in verse 7, “Therefore now they shall be the head of the exiles,” meaning that Israel went into exile first, and after them all the nations, their neighbors, went into exile, until they were the foremost among all the exiles. This occurred both in the exile of the Ten Tribes by the King of Assyria. Although the King of Assyria also exiled other nations, as it is stated, “Is not Calneh less than Carchemish? Is not Hamath less than Arpad? Is not Samaria less than Damascus?” (Isaiah 10:9), it is clarified from here that he did not exile Calneh, Hamath, or the Philistines until he had first exiled the Ten Tribes. Thus, when the Ten Tribes went into exile, the nations of Calneh and Hamath were still dwelling on their land. (Similarly, we find in the Book of Kings that he did not exile the nations of Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the Philistines, the neighbors of the Land of Israel, until after he had exiled Judah, so that Israel was always the foremost among the exiles.) And the prophet wonders about this: why was it so? For according to the natural order, it would have been fitting for him to conquer and exile first the small and weak kingdoms, and afterwards to conquer Samaria or Zion, which were mighty and fortified kingdoms. And this is what he says, “Hear, I call out,” “Are not the complacent in Zion and those who trust in the mountain of Samaria?” And there is a difference between “complacent” (shanan) and “trusting” (botach): the complacent one is one who has no war and no external terror, whereas the trusting one is one who trusts in his strength even though he has war and is not complacent. Now, the children of Zion had no war at that time, for the King of Assyria did not ascend against Judah until the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, and the exile of Samaria was in the sixth year of Hezekiah. Therefore, he called them by the name “complacent.” And Samaria, although they had war at that time, trusted in their strength and in Samaria, which was a fortified city, for behold, he was forced to besiege it for three years until he conquered it. And so, since the children of Zion and the Ten Tribes were mighty and powerful, and they are listed as the head of the nations—meaning they are distinguished and renowned for praise as the head of the nations, i.e., the chosen among them in rank and strength—how could this be, that “the house of Israel shall come”? That the house of Israel went into exile first and came in their exile to those nations, some of whom he exiled first to the neighboring nations, as I explained (above, Chapter 3, Verse 12), that he exiled them first to Damascus, and some went into exile through the cities of their neighboring nations who were still dwelling in peace, or fled through them, as explained above (Chapter 1, Verse 6, Verse 9). And this is contrary to the usual way, for it would have been fitting for him to exile the small kingdoms first?
Pass you to Calneh, and see, And from thence go you to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines; Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border? .
verse value 4375
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "from·there" (מִשָּׁ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·kingdoms" (מִן־הַמַּמְלָכ֣וֹת, 9 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "pass·on" (עִבְר֤וּ), "Calneh" (כַֽלְנֵה֙), "and·go" (וּלְכ֥וּ). The root גבול appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Pass through all of them and see.” Why did you reject My Torah to cling to the decrees of the nations? Go and see among the prominent nations if they are better than these kingdoms of Samaria and Jerusalem.
Kolnah. In Babylonia:
Chamat: Antioch.
Gath of the Philistines. The most important of their five principal cities, which is called "the bridle of the mother city" (2 Samuel 8:1), because it ruled over all of them and was the mother of their kingdom.
"If their border is greater than your border. And what wrong have you found in Me?"
Ibn Ezra
“Pass over to Calneh” – the name of a city.
“The good ones” – this is phrased in a tone of wonder, and the meaning is: “I did good to them more than to you, and all of you are the work of My hands.”
Radak
“Pass over to Calneh.” These are the complacent and self-indulgent, who delight in the good that the Lord has given them, yet they deny Him and His Torah, and they do not fear the evil that will come upon them. And when the prophets reprove them and say to them, “Such and such evil will come upon you,” they do not fear, but rather trust in their wealth and in their strong fortresses, namely Samaria and Zion, and they say, “No evil will come upon us.”
They passed through Kalneh. Kalneh was a large city in the land of Shinar, as it is stated in the Torah: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Kalneh” (Genesis 10:10).
"And you shall go from there." That is to say, after you have seen it at first, that it is a land of renown, and you have seen that it is not better than your land.
“And go from there to the great Hamath (Hamath-rabbah).” And he said “rabbah” (great) because it is large, for there is another Hamath — “Hamath and her daughter-towns.”
Gath of the Philistines. Perhaps there is another Gath, which is the finest of the cities of the Philistines, and it is called Metheg-ha-ammah, and David captured it from the hands of the Philistines.
Metzudat David
“Pass to Calneh.” Pass to Calneh and see the goodness of the place, and from there go to Hamath Rabbah and descend to the Philistine city of Gat, to see the extent of their border and their praise.
“The good ones.” And are they better than these kingdoms, namely the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Ephraim? And is their border greater than your border? And what, then, have you found in Me as a yoke to loathe My judgments?
Metzudat Zion
Kolnah. The name of a place:
“Great Hamath.” The great Hamath:
Malbim
“Pass over,” meaning that God responded, saying that this was under His providence so that you would pass through Calneh and see that some of the exiles had passed through Calneh during their exile, and from there go to Hamath; and afterward, when the king of Assyria conquered Calneh and exiled them, they went from there in their exile to Hamath, which was still dwelling in tranquility (as appears in Isaiah 10), that he conquered Calneh before Hamath; and afterward, when he conquered Hamath, they went down to Gath of the Philistines; pass over to Gath, which was still dwelling in tranquility. Therefore, God providentially arranged that Israel should be exiled first, so that they would pass through these kingdoms, which, although they are weaker than Israel, are still sitting on their land. And you will see with your own eyes, all of you, why this was so, and what was the reason that they are still sitting in tranquility while you went first among the exiles. It is impossible to say that this was because the governance of their kingdom is better than the kingdom of the House of Israel. And regarding this it says: “are they better than these kingdoms of Zion and Samaria?”. Thus, the king of Assyria did not mix his heart to fight against them first. Or, is their border greater than your border, and did he fear to fight against them first because their land is larger and harder to conquer than the land of Israel and Judah? And through this you will see that it was not for this reason that He exiled you first before these nations. Rather, the reason for the precedence of your exile over the exile of these nations was the matter of God’s providence over you because of the evil of your ways, and He explains.
You that put far away the evil day, And cause the seat of violence to come near;
verse value 2080
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "to·day" (לְי֣וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 2080 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "exclude" (הַֽמְנַדִּ֖ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "exclude" (הַֽמְנַדִּ֖ים), "to·day" (לְי֣וֹם), "evil" (רָ֑ע). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·day" (root יום, 21x in Amos). First appearance of the root שבת ("to·dwell") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַֽמְנַדִּ֖ים [exclude] (149) + לְי֣וֹם [to·day] (86) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + וַתַּגִּשׁ֖וּן [and·you·bring·near] (765) + שֶׁ֥בֶת [to·dwell] (702) + חָמָֽס [violence] (108) = 2080.
Rashi
Those who put far away the evil day. You put far from yourselves the evil day:
“And you bring near.” [You bring] yourselves to dwell in exile, which will do you violence, as it is said of it, “For the violence done to your brother Jacob” (Obadiah 1:10). This is the exposition of Rabbi Shimshon, of blessed memory. Another interpretation: “those who reject the evil day” — those who scorn the prophecy of the evil days that the prophets prophesy to them. “And you bring near a seat of violence” — this is like what Isaiah said, “Woe to those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8); you bring near [dwellings], one beside the other, through violence.
Ibn Ezra
“Those who are far off” – He mentioned “those who are far off,” — that is, he recalled 'Woe to the desirers' (Amos 5:18) — because there were among them people who regarded the matter that the prophet prophesied as doubtful, thinking perhaps that He would not fulfill His word. And some of them say: He prophesies only rarely, and this is what is meant by “those who are far off,” namely, those who distance themselves [from the prophecy], and [yet] you bring near [cases] to judge injustice, for “Sabbath,” like “the seat of elders, the sitters of the gate,” and since you distance and push away in your hearts the day of retribution, saying, “The time has not yet come,” you are not afraid to sin, and you bring near [cases] to the session (court sitting) at the gate to judge injustice; you distance yourselves from the evil day and bring near the Sabbath [to deal with] injustice.
Radak
Those who put far away the evil day—those who distance themselves from the bad day that is destined to come upon them—just as they used to say, “And for distant times he prophesies.”
“And you bring near the seat of violence.” The day of retribution you push far away, yet the seat of violence you bring near — that you sit in the gate to judge with violence and injustice.
Metzudat David
"Those who put off [the thought of the evil day]": These are those who stir themselves up through their deeds to go to a bad day, and you bring near the dwelling in a place of "violence," meaning in exile, in the land of the Chaldeans, where you will receive violence from them.
Metzudat Zion
The men who are waving. The term is derived from the words *niddah* (removing/putting far) and *ne'ah* (movement/shaking).
"and you bring near." The meaning of "near" is:
Sheveth (a seat). A word denoting the concept of sitting:
Chamas. Oppression and robbery:
Malbim
Those who push away the evil day—this was because these nations were striving to ward off the evil day and delay its arrival, so that it would not come swiftly to their borders. But you, through your evil deeds, will hasten and bring near the cessation of violence; you perform actions whereby the violence of the king of Assyria will approach and draw near to you swiftly, which will cause you to be destroyed from being a nation. And it explains in what manner you will hasten it.
That lie upon beds of ivory, And stretch themselves upon their couches, And eat the lambs out of the flock, And the calves out of the midst of the stall;
verse value 4247
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "tooth" (שֵׁ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·their·couches" (עַל־עַרְשׂוֹתָ֑ם, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "that·lie·down" (הַשֹּֽׁכְבִים֙), "upon·beds" (עַל־מִטּ֣וֹת), "tooth" (שֵׁ֔ן). 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·their·couches', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַשֹּֽׁכְבִים֙ [that·lie·down] (377) + עַל־מִטּ֣וֹת [upon·beds] (555) + שֵׁ֔ן [tooth] (350) + וּסְרֻחִ֖ים [and·sprawling] (324) + עַל־עַרְשׂוֹתָ֑ם [upon·their·couches] (1116) + וְאֹכְלִ֤ים [and·eating] (107) + כָּרִים֙ [lambs] (270) + מִצֹּ֔אן [from·flock] (181) + וַעֲגָלִ֖ים [and·calves] (159) + מִתּ֥וֹךְ [from·midst·of] (466) + מַרְבֵּֽק [stall] (342) = 4247.
Rashi
"And they lay on their couches." [This means] they stretch themselves out and lengthen their bodies upon their couches. And our Sages explained: they exchange their wives with one another, and they make their couches foul-smelling with seminal emissions that do not belong to them.
Lambs. Sheep:
Meravak. A place where calves gather; in the vernacular, a "Kopel."
Ibn Ezra
“השוכבים, וסרוחים” – from the root וסרח, meaning “excess,” and it is an adjective, like “עצומים” (mighty), in the same way as “מתפשטים” (spreading out), as stated by the Targum of Jonathan.
Radak
“The ones who lie down.” They remembered the pleasures they had in food and drink, anointing, and lying on pleasant beds, and in hearing musical instruments and melodies. He said: They delight in all kinds of pleasures, and they did not remember the day of disaster; neither did they become ill nor suffer pain over the fact that they were exiled.
“And [those] sprawling upon their couches.” From [the root of] “and the surplus that overhangs” (Exodus 26:12, ve-sarach ha-odef) — [meaning] that they place upon their couches long, wide garments that overhang in length and breadth over the sides of the bed; and all this is of the kinds of luxury. And our Sages, of blessed memory, interpreted “and seruchim upon their couches” as a matter of “sirachon” (foulness), saying that they would exchange their wives with one another and befoul their couches with seed that was not their own. And Jonathan rendered: “and [those who are] deep upon their couches.”
“And they shall eat fat rams,” meaning fat sheep; the adjective is omitted because the matter is understood. And “like wool,” meaning like white wool. “Clothed with garments,” namely beautiful garments, royal garments. And “in his flock there is a ram,” meaning a perfect ram. And Jonathan rendered it: “And they eat fatlings from the flock.”
“From the fattening-house.” A place where calves are brought to be fattened; likewise, “a calf of the fattening-house” refers to a fattened calf. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “It was brought in to Rivkah, and she prepared it.”
Metzudat David
"Those who lie down." They are those who take pleasure in lying on beds of ivory.
And overhanging coverlets. They spread long and wide sheets upon their beds, which extended beyond the length and width of the bed, for honor and beauty.
“Lambs” – from the flock they will select the lambs for their eating.
"From within the stall." From a place where they were fattened there.
Metzudat Zion
Tooth. This is the elephant's tooth:
"Vesruchim." The meaning is excess and surplus; likewise, "sruchei tavlin" (Ezekiel 23:15).
Their couches. Their bed, like the couch of my bed (Psalms 132:3):
"Kerim." Fat sheep. And similarly, they sent "ker" (Isaiah 16:1).
Merbak. It is the enclosure in which calves are fattened, as it is stated: “And for the woman a fattened calf” (1 Samuel 28:24).
Malbim
Those who lie on beds of ivory—the bed is made for reclining upon it, both by day and by night—and the couch is specifically designated for the lying down of women, children, the sick, and the pampered at night. They lay themselves upon beds of ivory, and upon their couches, which are specifically designated for the lying down of women, lay rotten ones, namely, rotten harlots who stink with seminal fluid. And as our Sages of blessed memory stated, they stink their couches with seminal fluid that is not theirs. And they would pamper themselves with pleasant foods, gorging and feasting with their harlots, eating the lambs of the flock, namely, the fat sheep, and the calves taken from the breeding pen, where the calves are fattened and made fat.
That thrum on the psaltery, That devise for themselves instruments of music, like David;
verse value 1626
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·improvise·carelessly" (הַפֹּרְטִ֖ים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "that·improvise·carelessly" (הַפֹּרְטִ֖ים), "upon·the·mouth·of" (עַל־פִּ֣י), "the·psaltery" (הַנָּ֑בֶל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·the·mouth·of" (root על, 28x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·psaltery', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַפֹּרְטִ֖ים [that·improvise·carelessly] (344) + עַל־פִּ֣י [upon·the·mouth·of] (190) + הַנָּ֑בֶל [the·psaltery] (87) + כְּדָוִ֕יד [like·David] (44) + חָשְׁב֥וּ [devised] (316) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + כְּלֵי־שִֽׁיר [instruments-of·song] (570) = 1626.
Rashi
“Those who play on the harp.” Menachem associates it with the verse “and the fallen fruit of your vineyard” (Leviticus 19:10), and I find his words acceptable: the poet, in accordance with the musical instrument, divides the speech into distinct parts, entirely according to the melody of the instrument’s sound, to raise and lower the tone.
As it is said, "Like David they devised for themselves, etc." – "They regarded" [of] their musical instruments as being like the musical instruments of David, which were for the sake of Heaven, whereas these were for the sake of pleasure.
Ibn Ezra
Those who improvise (ha-poretim)—they are those who know how to compose clipped songs with melodies without rhyme.
Radak
“The harpists playing on the harp.” From the verse “and you shall detail your vineyard” (Leviticus 19:10), and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, “detail and general” refers to the concept of individual items and their distinction from the general category. That is to say, they would recite their songs according to the harp, each level with its own song, according to the melody of the harp, so that one would not resemble another in its melody. Or its meaning is that they plucked the strings of the harp, each one according to the melody. And there are those who explain that “playing” derives from the term “prutah” (a coin) in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, meaning that each one gave a prutah to the musician. And Jonathan translated: “who sing according to the mouth of the harp.”
“Like David, they devised for themselves instruments of song.” Just as David knew how to play and was skilled in the various modes of melody on every musical instrument, so too they imagine that they know how to play just like him. And the meaning of this entire passage is that all their activities were devoted to every kind of pleasure, and they did not remember the Holy One, blessed be He.
Metzudat David
The "porotim" (those who enumerate). They are the singers who sing according to the harp, individual and distinct melodies, so that one is not like its companion.
Like David. They consider themselves in the matter of musical instruments to be like King David, to play on musical instruments as he played, and it is as if to say: Do they not have any worth or lineage in comparison with him? He is the singer of the song of the Lord, and they are not so.
Metzudat Zion
Those who improvise [pluck]. A matter of singling out and distinguishing — as in rabbinic usage “perat and klal” (particular and general), where the perat is the distinction from the general; and it is from “the gleaning of your vineyard” (u-feret karmekha, Leviticus 19:10).
The nevel. The name of a musical instrument:
That drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the chief ointments; But they are not grieved for the hurt of Joseph.
verse value 3794
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "wine" (יַ֔יִן, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·basins·of" (בְּמִזְרְקֵי֙, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "that·drink" (הַשֹּׁתִ֤ים), "in·basins·of" (בְּמִזְרְקֵי֙), "and·beginning·of" (וְרֵאשִׁ֥ית). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·smear', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַשֹּׁתִ֤ים [that·drink] (755) + בְּמִזְרְקֵי֙ [in·basins·of] (359) + יַ֔יִן [wine] (70) + וְרֵאשִׁ֥ית [and·beginning·of] (917) + שְׁמָנִ֖ים [oils] (440) + יִמְשָׁ֑חוּ [they·will·smear] (364) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + נֶחְל֖וּ [are·grieved] (94) + עַל־שֵׁ֥בֶר [for·the·hurt·of] (602) + יוֹסֵֽף [Joseph] (156) = 3794.
Rashi
“Those who drink from wine-squirting devices.” Some of our Sages say, in Tractate Shabbat, that they would throw their cups to one another. And others say that it is named after a vessel that had two openings, and it was long, and one would drink from this end and the other from that end; it is called a “squirter” because the wine is squirted from one mouth to the other.
"And the first of the oils." The choicest of oils, and it is aparsimon.
"And they were not grieved." This is a term denoting illness.
"Over the ruin of Joseph." That they had heard from the mouths of the prophets that it [the calamity] was destined to come upon them.
Ibn Ezra
"The drinkers" – "wine" is the object (pa'ul), and [mizrekei] is a construct (smikhut), and the noun in absolute state (nismaikh) is not mentioned, except in [the phrase] "silver or gold pitchers." And Rabbi Marinus said: The bet is an additional particle, like [in the verse] "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mixed."
“Concerning the breaking of Joseph” – this refers to the kingdom of Jeroboam.
Radak
“Those who drink from wine-bowls.” From bowls, which are large, they drink wine — not from goblets and cups, which are small [though] fit for drinking wine; rather, they drink from bowls (mizrakim). And “mizrekei” is like “mizrakim” (a construct plural in the form of the absolute); likewise “chalonei shekufim” (1 Kings 6:4) is like “chalonim”; and “nit‘ei na‘amanim” (Isaiah 17:10) is like “neta‘im”; “mal’akhei ra‘im” (Psalm 78:49); “mei ha-marim” (Numbers 5:19); and the like. And Jonathan translated thus, and construed [mizrekei] as a construct with an ellipsis, for he rendered “who drink in bowls of silver, wine”; and likewise he rendered “in the bowl of the nobles” (Judges 5:25) as “in the bowls of the mighty men.”
"And the first of the oils" – the choicest of the blended oils.
"And they were not grieved." Along the lines of 'none of you is grieved for me' (I Samuel 22:8). And the Nifal here does not take its form from the light [Kal] conjugation, since the Kal of this root is intransitive; rather, it takes its form from the heavy [Kaved] conjugation.
“Regarding the breaking of Joseph.” It was fitting that it [the breaking] should be a sickness and cause them pain, yet they were not made sick by it. “The breaking of Joseph” refers to those who were exiled from the tribes prior to the reign of Jeroboam son of Joash. The kingdom of Ephraim is called collectively “Ephraim” or “Joseph,” because Jeroboam son of Nebat, who first reigned over the ten tribes when the kingdom was divided, was from the tribe of Ephraim. Moreover, this tribe was greater in number and stature than the other tribes, except for Judah. Concerning it, our father Jacob prophesied and said, “Yet his younger brother shall grow greater than he, and his offspring shall fill many nations” (Genesis 48:19). And He said, “I will call by My name,” meaning that Israel will be called by the name of Ephraim. Furthermore, Joseph was the firstborn in place of Reuben; therefore, Israel is named after him. Likewise, it is stated in the Psalm: “Shepherd of Israel, attend; You who lead Joseph like a flock” (Psalm 80:2).
Metzudat David
"With bowls of wine." They did not drink from cups, but rather from bowls, which are vessels of a large measure.
And the beginning. In the best of oils shall their flesh rejoice, to delight:
And they were not grieved. They did not suffer from heartache, to grieve over the calamity destined to befall Joseph; and all Israel were called by the name of Joseph, because he sustained them in Egypt.
Metzudat Zion
"במזרקי" – A large basin, like one silver basin (Numbers 7:13):
And the beginning. The matter [of] the best and the choicest.
They shall anoint. The term refers to anointing and smearing with oil.
They were grieved (sickened). The word is related to "sickness":
Malbim
“The ones who drink,” meaning they drink wine from large goblets and not from small cups, and they anoint with the choicest of oils, with good and choice oil, namely balsam oil; yet they were not grieved over the breaking of Joseph, nor pay attention to the distress of the community, nor mourn the evil that looms over them, nor return to God through fasting, weeping, and lamentation.
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 32:14; I Samuel 22:8
Therefore now shall they go captive at the head of them that go captive, And the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away.
verse value 2055
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "sprawlers" (סְרוּחִֽים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "now" (עַתָּ֥ה), "they·will·uncover" (יִגְל֖וּ), "exiles" (גֹּלִ֑ים). The root גלה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'exiles', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֛ן [therefore] (100) + עַתָּ֥ה [now] (475) + יִגְל֖וּ [they·will·uncover] (49) + בְּרֹ֣אשׁ [in·head] (503) + גֹּלִ֑ים [exiles] (83) + וְסָ֖ר [and·turning·aside] (266) + מִרְזַ֥ח [cry] (255) + סְרוּחִֽים [sprawlers] (324) = 2055.
Rashi
And the revelry of those who stretch [on their couches] shall be removed. [Targum:] “and they shall abolish the feasts of the proud and haughty.” “Marzechot” is a term for feasts. In the Sifrei, on the parashah “And Israel dwelt in Shittim” (Numbers 25:1), I found: “and they returned to make for themselves marzechim, and they would summon them and eat.”
Ibn Ezra
Therefore - they sought first; they will be exiled first.
Marzach – like the word "re'nah" (song) to make a sound, as it says, "Do not enter the house of marzach," and this marzach is the song; and when calamity comes, then the song will cease.
Serochim – from the verse: “The rotten ones upon their beds.”
Radak
Therefore. The remnants of Joseph who were not grieved over the calamity of their brethren will now be exiled soon; they will be exiled first, at the head of the exiles, before the exile of Judah.
“Let him depart from the place of revelry, from the revelers.” This means that mourning will draw near and come to them. But as for those who were previously reveling on their couches, anointing themselves with oil, and indulging in pleasure, their mourning will now draw near. The term “depart” (vasar) is used in the sense of “drawing near,” similar to the usage in “Turn aside, sit down here” (surah shevah poh). Let me turn aside now and see. Jonathan translated it as “removal,” rendering the verse: “And their joy will be removed from them.” The word “marzechin” (revelers) — referring to the word “mekhavin”/“mekakin” (spelled kaf-then-bet), not to “marzechin” itself, which begins mem-resh — based on the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “You shall place the kneading [kevaniti] in the houses.” Jonathan similarly translated: “And the couches and the kneading.” There are manuscripts that read “mekakin” with two kafs. Its meaning is “couches,” as the Targum translates “And you shall sit on a glorious bed” as “mekakin.” Our Sages of blessed memory interpret “marzech” as “mourning.” Thus, they derive from this verse the prohibition: “Do not enter the house of a mourner.” They base this on the fact that a mourner reclines at the head of the table, as it is stated: “Let him depart from the place of revelry, from the revelers.” Here, “marzech” is rendered suitable for the “seruchim” (the remaining ones). That is, for the rest of the people, similar to “vasarach ha’odaf,” which means the remaining part of the cloth. Jonathan’s understanding is that “marzech” refers to matters of joy and festivities, for he translated: “And their joy will be removed from them.” He did not say that the mourning will depart from them, but rather that the joy will depart from them. In the Sifri, in the parashah of “Vayeshev Yisrael ba’shitim,” it states: “In the end, they returned to make for themselves ‘marzechin’ (places of revelry), and they called out to the people and ate, as it is stated: ‘And they called out to the people,’ etc.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that the term “marzech” refers to raising the voice, whether in weeping or in joy, and so it is in the Arabic language.
Metzudat David
"Therefore." Since they acted thus, therefore now, in the near future, they will be exiled as the foremost among the exiles; that is to say, as the select portion of the exiles, in great disgrace. (Just as in matters of good, the terms "foremost" and "select" are used to denote the best among them, so too in matters of evil, the terms "foremost" and "select" are used to denote the worst among them.)
And He will remove from the feasts the excesses. Then He will remove from them the great banquets that exceed the proper measure, or then great mourning and excesses in measure will come upon them:
Metzudat Zion
At the head (foremost). A distinguished matter:
And he removed. The word denotes removal:
“Marzeh.” So they call banquets. And in Sifrei, in the parashah of “And Israel dwelt in Shittim,” it is written: “And they returned to make marzeiḥot, and they would call them and eat.” Or, it is a matter of mourning; and likewise, “Do not enter the house of mourning” (Jeremiah 16:5), and our Sages of blessed memory said: “House of mourning.”
Excess. The matter of excess and surplus:
Malbim
Therefore, now they shall be exiled at the head of exiles: all these matters were the cause that they were exiled now, in an early time, and their exile was not delayed until the future time, until they went at the head of exiles, meaning they were the first exiles before the nations, because the nations took to heart the distress of their brethren and devised plans to banish and push away the evil day. And the banquet of the putrid ones ceased: because they were exiled from their land, the banquet and feast that they held for the putrid ones ceased and stopped, namely, for the putrid harlots on account of whom they used to hold banquets and feasts every day; now this banquet shall cease.
The Lord Hashem has sworn by Himself, Says Hashem, the God of hosts: I abhor the pride of Jacob, And hate his palaces; And I will deliver up the city with all that is therein.
verse value 5300
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5300 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "city" (עִ֥יר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·palaces" (וְאַרְמְנֹתָ֖יו, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "in·his·soul" (בְּנַפְשׁ֗וֹ), "abhor" (מְתָאֵ֤ב), "the·pride·of" (אֶת־גְּא֣וֹן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "my·lord" (root אדון, 26x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·hate', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
"With his soul." This means with knowledge and intent.
“Abhorring.” Like “meta’ev” (abhorring); and so Targum Yonatan rendered it: “I profane the House of the Sanctuary, the greatness of Jacob” — for the Sanctuary is called “the pride of their strength,” as it is stated: “Behold, I profane My Sanctuary, the pride of your strength” (Ezekiel 24:21).
A city and all that is within it: Jerusalem and its inhabitants.
Ibn Ezra
"He has sworn" – [He swore] by His own soul, as it is written: "By myself I have sworn" (Isaiah 45:23).
“Yearning (meta'ev)” – meaning, “he who consumes,” as it is said, “I desired, I consumed, and I pined.”
Radak
“The Lord has sworn by His own soul”—that is, by Himself, as it is stated: “I have sworn by Myself” (Isaiah 45:23); and likewise: “He has not taken His soul in vain” (Psalms 24:4).
“I abhor.” [It is] the opposite of “I have longed for Your salvation” (Psalm 119:174, ta’avti li-yshu‘atkha) — [la‘az:] “dishtalantash”; just as “mesharesh” (one who uproots the roots) is the opposite of “mashrish” (one who takes root). And Jonathan rendered: “I profane.”
“Of the Glory of Jacob”: This refers to the Temple. Similarly, it is written: “Of the Glory of Jacob, whom He loved, Selah.” And Jonathan also rendered it: “The House of His Temple, the Glory of Jacob.”
“And I will shut them up.” The meaning is: I will hand over the city, together with its inhabitants, into the hand of the enemy.
Metzudat David
“With his soul.” This means: with himself.
From the root "to love." Indeed, I love this "Pride of Jacob," the Holy Temple, as it is written: "The Pride of Jacob, whom I love" (Psalms 47:5).
“And His palaces.” But the palaces of Jacob—the place where those I hate derive pleasure—therefore I will deliver the city into the hand of the enemy, along with the matters that fill the city; and the Temple is included among them. For although it is beloved to Me, since the city has been destroyed, what do I have with the Temple?
Metzudat Zion
From the root "to desire." The meaning is "desire," as in "I longed for Your salvation" (Psalms 119:174).
Gaon. So the Temple is called, and so it says, "And His beauty shall be for glory" (Ezekiel 7:20):
"And I will deliver them up." The term "shutting up" (הסגרתי) has the same meaning as "to hand over" (להסגיר), as in "to hand over to Edom" (above, 1:6).
Malbim
The Lord swore by His soul, by His will, that His will is that which acts upon all. "I have loathed the pride of Jacob," meaning that I no longer have any desire for the pride of Jacob; and therefore I have hated his palaces, and I will deliver the city and all that is in it into the hands of the enemies.
And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
verse value 2544
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·they·remain" (אִם־יִוָּ֨תְר֜וּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "if·they·remain" (אִם־יִוָּ֨תְר֜וּ), "man" (אֲנָשִׁ֛ים), "one" (אֶחָ֖ד). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·a·house" (root בית, 35x in Amos). Full calculation: וְהָיָ֗ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + אִם־יִוָּ֨תְר֜וּ [if·they·remain] (663) + עֲשָׂרָ֧ה [ten] (575) + אֲנָשִׁ֛ים [man] (401) + בְּבַ֥יִת [in·a·house] (414) + אֶחָ֖ד [one] (13) + וָמֵֽתוּ [and·they·will·die] (452) = 2544.
Rashi
"If there remain [survivors]: [This refers to a case] from the pestilence and the sword in one house, and they die [together]. The enemies will burn the house upon them when they capture the city."
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be" – this refers to the way of the pestilence or the ruins, and it mentions ten. The reason for the plural form is that it denotes a total sum.
Radak
“And it shall be, if there be left” – meaning, if they escape from the sword and hide themselves in one house, they will die there of the plague. And “ten” is not exact, but rather it means “many.”
Metzudat David
"If they remain." For they will hide themselves there because of the enemy.
"And they shall die." For the enemy will burn the houses and all of them will die, leaving not a single one remaining.
Metzudat Zion
Yivateru. From “notar” (that which is left over/remains).
Malbim
And if ten men were left over, whom the enemy did not kill, and they remained in one house, for example a father and his nine sons, and they all died due to the plague that was in the city:
And when a man’s uncle shall take him up, even he that burns him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say to him that is in the innermost parts of the house: ‘Is there yet any with you?’ and he shall say: ‘No’; then shall he say: ‘Hold your peace; for we must not make mention of the name of Hashem.’
verse value 5127
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hush!" (הָ֔ס, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·who·burns·him" (וּמְסָֽרְפ֗וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 247: and·will·say, and·will·say, and·will·say. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·will·lift·him" (וּנְשָׂא֞וֹ), "his·beloved" (דּוֹד֣וֹ), "and·he·who·burns·him" (וּמְסָֽרְפ֗וֹ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "and·will·say" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'none', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Rashi
“And his uncle and the one who burns him shall carry [him].” His relative and friend, who saved his bones from the fire; so too does the Targum of Jonathan render it: “and his relative shall carry him from the burning.”
And it is stated: One who removes [an item] from a fire to his fellow, who is in the rear chamber of the house, who went to check inside the house.
“Is there still anyone with you?” A person alive besides you, who escaped from those who were hidden.
And He said, "Utterly." There is no living person, only the dead. And He said to him, "Remove the corpses." And He said, "Remove," meaning, cast away and eliminate everything. For this is their punishment because they did not wish to mention the Name of the Lord. So too does the Targum render it.
Ibn Ezra
And they carried – the word “and he burned him” has no parallel. And Rabbi Yehuda ben Karshai says: “His uncle, his father’s brother, and he burned him, his mother’s brother,” and this reasoning is without proof. And the one who says that its meaning is “the one who saved him from the burning” would have to swap the samekh for a shin, and we have not seen from the root pattern that the heavy, emphatic construction is used except for derogatory purposes, such as: “Your root lops off its bough.” Now, the reason is that men would enter the house to see who had died in the matter, or that the house had fallen upon them because the earth had shaken, as I mentioned, and similarly afterward, “and He struck the great house,” and behold, an uncle would come, one of the men who had been in the house, to remove the dead from the house to the graves and to carry out the living from there. And when the man would recognize his relative and carry him, he would say to those in the innermost part of the house, “Are there still bodies there?” They would answer in reply, “Hush! Do not say this, and do not let your voice be heard, lest the hearts of those who hear be softened, and none of them accept the judgment of the Name of Heaven,” that is, to mention the Exalted Name.
Radak
“And his kinsman and the one who burns him shall carry him.” “Dodo” is his father’s brother, and “mesarfo” is his mother’s brother — so some of the commentators explained it. And some interpret it as a matter of burning (the samekh in place of a shin, [mesarfo =] “his burner”). And my master, my father, of blessed memory, explained [it thus]: his beloved [kinsman], who comes to burn the flesh of the dead — his relative — because of the stench, and to bring the bones out of the house, says [the following]. And because the plague was so great, one would say to his fellow, “Are there yet dead with you to bring out, that I may help you?” His fellow answers, “No more, for I have already brought them all out.” His fellow says to him, “Hush! Be silent, and do not make lament — for we must not make mention by the name of the Lord.” [That is:] that which we were not accustomed to mention by the name of the Lord — for we used to mention the names of the Baalim — this is what caused us this plague; let us put a hand to the mouth, to bear it and be silent; or [it means] so as not to break the heart of the people because of the greatness of the plague, and also so that the enemies should not hear.
Metzudat David
"And they shall carry." His uncle and his burner shall carry each one, in order to remove the bones from the house, lest they too be burned together with the flesh.
And it says: "This one who is carrying will say to the one who is at the end of the house, searching for bones like his:"
“Is there anything else with you?” If there is still something with you from the bones, to remove them from the fire.
And it says, "Nothing remains." This means: And this one will reply, complaining, that even the bones have already been burned up, and everything has been consumed.
"And he returned this" – meaning, he said to him, "Be silent and do not ponder over the Attribute of Justice, for those who are being burned did not wish to mention the Name of the Lord; rather, they mentioned the name of Baal, and they are deserving of this recompense."
Metzudat Zion
"And they took up." The term refers to a burden and load.
"His uncle." This refers to the father's brother.
"And his kinsman." This refers to the maternal uncle. Alternatively, "and he shall burn him" is equivalent to "and he shall set him on fire" with a shin, since the letters shin and samekh are interchangeable, and the meaning is: his beloved one, who saves his bones from the burning.
“birkhotei.” At the end:
"Nothing." The matter of destruction is like "nothing" in the phrase "silver was nothing" (Genesis 47:15):
The matter of silence is like [the verse] "and Caleb silenced [the people]" (Numbers 13:30):
Malbim
“And they shall carry his uncle” — this implies that the father, his sons, and his brothers, who were eligible to inherit, all died from the plague, and no close relative remained to attend to the dead, to bury them, and to inherit the remaining house and property, except for the owner’s uncle, as it is stated, “If there are no brothers to his father, you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.” He shall carry him for burial, and he shall also be the one to burn him; that is, he shall burn the bones (as it is stated in I Samuel 31:12, “And they took the body of Saul... and they burned them.” And Radak explains that the embalming of the bones with spices burns them and dries them out, and especially during a plague, lime is poured on the bones so that they burn and the plague does not spread from them). The reason that he shall carry him is that, since he is the heir to the house, he would wish to purify the house of the corpses. And it says, “To him who is in the innermost part of the house with you” — this implies that one man of the household servants, who remained alive, is sitting in the innermost part of the house and would not wish to come into the main part of the house, whether because of the plague or because of the collapse. The uncle, who is occupied with the burial, will ask him, “Is there still anyone with you?” meaning, is there still any other person with him from the household, a son or a brother, who escaped with him from the plague? And he said, “None,” meaning that all the members of the household have died. And he said, “Be silent,” because it was the custom to mention the Name of God concerning the dead, either to say “Righteous is the Judgment” and to bless “The True Judge,” and also because according to the law one must also bless Shehecheyanu, as it is stated: “They said to him, ‘Your father has died.’ He is his heir; he blesses twice: ‘Blessed is the True Judge’ and ‘Who has kept us alive.’” And since he is the heir to the house, he would wish to mention the Name of God. Therefore, the servant will command him to mourn and be silent, meaning that it is not the time to mention the Name of God. And the servant will explain to him the reason, because.
For, behold, Hashem commands, And the great house shall be smitten into splinters, And the little house into chips.
verse value 1947
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "drop" (רְסִיסִ֑ים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "and·he·struck" (וְהִכָּ֛ה), "the·great" (הַגָּד֖וֹל), "drop" (רְסִיסִ֑ים). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "the·house" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "for·behold" (root כי, 22x in Amos). First appearance of the root קטן ("young") in Amos. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'drop', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה [for·behold] (90) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + מְצַוֶּ֔ה [commanding] (141) + וְהִכָּ֛ה [and·he·struck] (36) + הַבַּ֥יִת [the·house] (417) + הַגָּד֖וֹל [the·great] (48) + רְסִיסִ֑ים [drop] (380) + וְהַבַּ֥יִת [and·the·house] (423) + הַקָּטֹ֖ן [young] (164) + בְּקִעִֽים [chips] (222) = 1947.
Rashi
"Shards." That it be shattered into fine cracks.
Baki'im (breaches). Larger than resisim (fragments); according to its importance shall its blow be. So Targum Yonatan: “and He shall smite the great kingdom with a strong blow, and the small kingdom with a weak blow.”
Ibn Ezra
"For, commands - [i.e.] decrees, like: 'For He commanded and they were created.'"
“Rasimim” – from the context, it means fragments more so than cracks. And Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said: that “rasimim” of night is fine rain, and know that the rain, which is a body, and also the air, which is the wind, is a body and it is very fine. And there are those who say: that the meaning of “the great house” is the prince and his men.
Radak
"For behold, the Lord commands." Another interpretation: "The Holy One, blessed be He, commands," meaning He decrees that there shall be an earthquake, as it is stated above: "And I will smite the winter house," etc.
“And the great house was shattered into fragments, and the small house was cracked.” “Shattered into fragments” (resisin) is like “cracked” (baqin) with a samekh, just as with a tsadi, like “a bruised reed” (qaneh ratuts), denoting the concept of breaking. And likewise in the Mishnah it is spelled with a samekh: “If it is thick or shattered (marusess) enough to cook a soft-boiled egg, the lightest of eggs.” And the Targum renders it as “and crushed” (ukhtut), and the Aramaic term is demaris. And Jonathan interpreted the matter by way of parable, translating: “Behold, the Lord is the One who appoints, etc.”
Metzudat David
"And he shall strike." The one who commanded him is the enemy.
"The great house." This refers to the kingdom of Ephraim, stating that it was greater than the kingdom of Judah, because it comprised the ten tribes.
“Shards.” [These are] numerous and frequent fissures that cannot be repaired except after a long time. That is to say, they will not return to their land until the future redemption.
"And the small house." This refers to the Kingdom of Judah, stating that it was smaller than the Kingdom of Ephraim.
Baki'im. To individual breaches that can be repaired quickly, meaning that they will return to their land in the time of the Second Temple.
Metzudat Zion
“Shattered.” The matter of “shattering” and “crushing” as it is written: “bruised or crushed” (Leviticus 22:24). The Targum renders it: “damaged or shattered.” And our Sages of blessed memory stated: “If it was thick or shattered” (Shabbat, ch.).
Malbim
For behold, the Lord has commanded, and He will strike the great house into fragments; therefore, there is no time to pray due to the danger that the great house will soon fall. And because of this reason, he escaped from the great house and is sitting in the rear chamber of the house, namely, in the small house that adjoins the great house at its rear, where there is not so much danger, for the small house He will strike only with small cracks, and it will not be shattered into fragments like the great house. And also for this reason, he should not sing in the name of the Lord regarding the good of the inheritance, nor recite the Shehecheyanu blessing, for the house will be a ruin, and he will not inherit anything at all.
Do horses run upon the rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? That you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood;
verse value 3833
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·rock" (בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "or·he·plow" (אִֽם־יַחֲר֖וֹשׁ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "they·will·run" (הַיְרֻצ֤וּן), "in·the·rock" (בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙), "horses" (סוּסִ֔ים). 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·the·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַיְרֻצ֤וּן [they·will·run] (361) + בַּסֶּ֙לַע֙ [in·the·rock] (162) + סוּסִ֔ים [horses] (176) + אִֽם־יַחֲר֖וֹשׁ [or·he·plow] (565) + בַּבְּקָרִ֑ים [with·the·cattle] (354) + כִּֽי־הֲפַכְתֶּ֤ם [that·you·have·turned] (575) + לְרֹאשׁ֙ [head] (531) + מִשְׁפָּ֔ט [judgment] (429) + וּפְרִ֥י [fruit] (296) + צְדָקָ֖ה [righteousness] (199) + לְלַעֲנָֽה [to·wormwood] (185) = 3833.
Rashi
"Will horses run upon the rock?" Could they possibly stand still in their running when they pervert the order of the world?
"If he plows. A man in the morning. On the rock that you believe to change the good way and you will be sustained and succeed:"
Ibn Ezra
The Yerozon – horsemen on a rock.
"If he plows" – this refers to one who breaks up the rock in the mornings. The reason is that they have changed their custom.
For you have turned—The word mishpat, which is sweet, into gall (rosh), is spelled either with a vav or with an aleph.
Radak
“Horses running on rocks,” if one plows with oxen. If one plows, the plowman, and likewise when the potter breaks his vessel, the breaker, from the animal from which he offers a sacrifice to the Lord, the one who offers, and he said to Joseph, the one who says, and others like them are many. And the meaning is: if one plows on the rock, because the rock mentioned stands in place of two, he said: If it is the way of the world for horses to run on rock, this is not so. And likewise, if a person plows with oxen on rock, this is not so. And if this were to be the case, it would be contrary to the way of the world and its custom. And you are acting contrary to the world, for justice and righteousness are the preservation of the settlement of the world, and whoever perverts justice is destroying the settlement of the world, like hemlock (rosh) and wormwood (la'anah) that kill a person. And behold, you are reversing the order of the world. And likewise he said above: “those who turn justice to wormwood (la'anah).”
“And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.” For according to the law, the fruit of righteousness is peace and good, as it is stated: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace” (Isaiah 32:17); yet you make it into a curse.
Metzudat David
"Do they run?" And is it possible for horses to race upon a place of rock? For surely they would strike and break their hooves. Likewise, is it possible for a man to plow in rock with oxen? For thereby he would lose and ruin the oxen. The meaning is: Is it possible to alter that which is fitting? For one who changes [it] will gain nothing, but only suffer loss.
“Because you have turned [it upside down]”: It is as if it says, “Is it not so that your deeds are to change that which is fitting? For you have turned the law of the Torah upside down,” meaning: you have taken in exchange for it the decree of the gentiles.
"And the fruit of righteousness." This means: You have turned the commandments of the Torah into a price to be paid for idolatry. And the matter is repeated in what is stated, as if to say: Since you have changed that which is fitting, loss shall come upon you.
Metzudat Zion
הירוצון. From the words "running" and "pursuit":
"לראש" – to wormwood (la'anah), a type of bitter herb, as it is stated: "a root that yields gall and wormwood" (Deuteronomy 29:17).
Malbim
“Haryatzon ba-sela susim” – the rock, which is the hard, sharp, rocky mountain, is fit for nothing, for it is impossible to make upon it a paved road on which horses may gallop in times of war; and likewise it is not fit to be plowed upon with oxen to make in it fields of grain. And this is an allegory: if their land became like a rock and a flinty stone, they would not be able to wage war in it on the day of battle to save themselves from the sword, nor to sow in it grain to save themselves from famine (and likewise it alludes to their heart that became like a rock, and they could not stand in the battle against the evil inclination, nor receive the seed of discipline and knowledge). And it explains that the condition for victory in war is if they administer justice between man and his fellow, as mentioned regarding Jehoshaphat in II Chronicles (chapters 19 and 20), that when he appointed judges in every city and city, he defeated his enemies from all around; and as our Sages of blessed memory stated, “A sword comes into the world because of the perversion of justice.” And you turned it to its head: instead of justice sweetening all bitternesses, and in the national community living pleasant lives if there is justice between man and his fellow, you turned it into bitternesses. And the condition for sowing and that fields of grain should grow is righteousness between man and the Omnipresent, for thereby the Lord will watch over them and give the rain of their land in its season; and you turned the fruit of righteousness into a curse, that you do the opposite of righteousness by serving idolatry, and He withheld the heavens and there was no rain, and the earth yielded its barrenness.
You that rejoice in a thing of nought, That say: ‘Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?’
verse value 1861
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֖נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·not" (לְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·ones·rejoicing" (הַשְּׂמֵחִ֖ים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "the·ones·rejoicing" (הַשְּׂמֵחִ֖ים), "to·not" (לְלֹ֣א), "in·our·strength" (בְחׇזְקֵ֔נוּ). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·say" (root אמר, 52x in Amos); "to·not" (root לא, 44x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'word', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַשְּׂמֵחִ֖ים [the·ones·rejoicing] (403) + לְלֹ֣א [to·not] (61) + דָבָ֑ר [word] (206) + הָאֹ֣מְרִ֔ים [who·say] (296) + הֲל֣וֹא [not] (42) + בְחׇזְקֵ֔נוּ [in·our·strength] (173) + לָקַ֥חְנוּ [we·took] (194) + לָ֖נוּ [to·us] (86) + קַרְנָֽיִם [Karnaim] (400) = 1861.
Rashi
For a thing of nought. Regarding their greatness and wealth, which are nothing, that they shall not endure.
Horns. Strength and might to gore with the horns, the poor and the needy:
Ibn Ezra
"Those who rejoice without cause" – [this refers to] the restoration of the horns to gore with them.
Radak
“Those who rejoice without cause.” For their tranquility and well-being will not endure; thus, they rejoice without cause.
“Horns.” Just as the wild ox charges with its horns, so too they say that they made for themselves horns to gore the nations, because Jeroboam son of Joash gained mastery over the enemies of Israel, as it is stated: “He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah,” and it is stated: “And he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah, which belonged to Israel.” And they say that they accomplished this through their own strength. But not so; rather, it was the compassion of God, Who had mercy on them and gave them the strength to overcome their enemies, as it is stated: “For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up, and none left, neither was there any helper for Israel. And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash.”
Metzudat David
"The joyful ones": They rejoice over nothing, meaning that they rejoice over their success because it will not last for a long time.
“Those who say”: They say, “With the strength of our hand we have taken for ourselves courage and strength,” as it is stated; but this is not so, for everything is under Divine providence.
Metzudat Zion
Horns. The matter is one of strength, and it is borrowed from the horns of a living creature, with which they strengthen themselves.
Malbim
Regarding those who rejoiced over a "non-event" (i.e., the absence of a decree), behold, it is stated in II Kings 14:25 concerning Jeroboam son of Joash that he restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah son of Amittai, who was from Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very severe, etc., and the Lord had not spoken to blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, and He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash. The meaning is that the reason Jeroboam succeeded at that time in restoring the border of Israel, even though God knew that they were destined to go into exile because of their sins, was because the decree of exile had not yet been finalized. The decree of exile was not finalized until the days of Amos, when the decree was established that they would go into exile. As it is stated in Isaiah 7:8, "Yet sixty-five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people." This refers to the time from when Amos prophesied that Israel would go into exile, from which point their decree of exile was finalized for sixty-five years later. And since in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash the decree had not yet been issued, this is what is meant by "and the Lord had not spoken to blot out the name of Israel," namely, that the decree had not yet been pronounced at that time. And [God] saw that they were greatly afflicted, and if He were to leave them to the hands of nature and chance, they would have perished on their own, and the time for this [destruction] had not yet arrived. Therefore, He was compelled to save them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash. That generation, which heard this prophecy from the mouth of Jonah son of Amittai, who told them that the reason He saved them was because the Lord had not spoken to destroy them, rejoiced over a "non-event," namely, over the fact that no word or decree had gone forth against them. And based on this, they reasoned that since their victory over the enemy and the restoration of the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah was not because the Lord had spoken [positively for them], but only because the Lord had not spoken [negatively against them], the salvation was not a miracle from the Lord, for He did not save them in actuality by a word spoken for their benefit. Rather, it was because He did not speak evil against them, and thereby they saved themselves through the strength of Jeroboam in war. And through this, they assumed that they had triumphed by their own strength and valor, and they said, "Have we not taken horns for ourselves?" meaning that their victory was due to their own strength and valor. Therefore, the Lord will deal with them measure for measure.
Cross-references: Genesis 14:5; II Samuel 9:4; II Kings 14:25
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says Hashem, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.
verse value 3716
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֡י, 2 letters) and the longest is "declares·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Amos. Unique to this verse in Amos (hapax): "am·establishing" (מֵקִ֨ים), "nation" (גּ֑וֹי), "and·they·will·squeeze" (וְלָחֲצ֥וּ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "declares·Hashem" (root יהוה, 81x in Amos); "house·of" (root בית, 35x in Amos); "against·you" (root על, 28x in Amos). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nation', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
“From Lebo-hamath (the entrance of Hamath).” This refers to the northwest corner of the Land of Israel.
"Until the Wadi of the Arabah." The Wadi of Egypt, which is located in the southwestern corner:
Ibn Ezra
"for they will press upon you" — Even though you will gore them, as you have thought and said, "Surely we have taken horns for ourselves with our strength to gore with them," behold, the matter is reversed, for the enemies will press upon you.
Radak
“For behold, I raise up.” He said: You say that by your own strength you did this, and you did not look to Me [to see] that it was by My help that you did it.
“Behold, I will raise up against you a nation.” This is the king of Assyria with his army.
From Chamat as far as the Wadi of the Aravah. He said: What you say, that you took it by force, as it is stated regarding Jeroboam son of Joash: “From Chamat as far as the Sea of the Aravah,” you will see that when I turn My face away from you, this nation will come and press upon you in this land and drive you out from it. And “the Wadi of the Aravah” is the Sea of the Aravah.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I am." For now that you have sinned against Me, behold, I will establish over you, you, the House of Israel:
Goy. It refers back to “Behold, I am bringing upon you.”
"And they shall press you." These are the idolaters.
“From the entrance of Hamath.” From the path by which they come to Hamath, which is on the northern border of the Land of Israel.
"Until the brook of the Arabah." It is located on the southern border of the Land of Israel, from one end to the other.
Metzudat Zion
And they pressed them. The meaning is distress:
Malbim
For behold, I am establishing against you a decree of the Lord of Hosts: a nation, a nation that I will raise up against you will not be without cause, but rather by the word and decree of the Lord of Hosts. For now He has spoken and decreed a decree and determined the judgment, and He will raise up the nation that will press upon you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah, just as He then saved them by the hand of Jeroboam and restored their border from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim